Minnesota Now

Here’s a lesson from March Madness: there’s no such thing as perfection. There has never been a perfect bracket, according to the NCAA. Out of the tens of millions of people who filled out brackets this year on the men’s side, they’ve all been wrong at least once. In the women’s tournament, there were just 141 perfect brackets remaining this morning.

Plus, the University of Minnesota men’s basketball team have found a new coach after Ben Johnson was fired earlier this month.

Joining Minnesota Now to catch up on all of this and other sports news are our sports contributors, Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson.

The ACLU of Minnesota and Education Minnesota have filed separate suits against St. Francis Area Schools over a library book policy. The policy requires books in school libraries be filtered through a book rating site, Book Looks, which is backed by conservatives. The school board approved the policy last fall.

The lawsuit from the ACLU of Minnesota was filed on behalf of two parents of students in the district. Education Minnesota filed on behalf of eight students in the district, whose parents are teachers.

Both suits argue argues that banning books violates Minnesota constitutional and state law.

Catherine Ahlin-Halverson is a staff attorney with the ACLU of Minnesota and she joined Minnesota Now to explain the legal action.

The head of a national veterans group is on tour in Minnesota this week to talk about preventing suicide. Suicide rates are consistently higher for those who have served in the military, compared to non-veterans according to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.

The American Legion's Be the One campaign aims to get veterans and their communities talking more openly about mental health. James LaCoursiere Jr., the group's National Commander, is promoting the initiative all over the country.

He joined MPR News host Nina Moini to talk about the initiative.

If you or someone you know is struggling, you are not alone. Call or text 988 to get connected with trained counselors who can help. The 988 suicide and crisis lifeline is available 24/7.

The work of undercover agents who pose as criminals or victims to catch people preying on another for personal gain has come into the spotlight following the arrest of former state senator Justin Eichorn.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension was not involved in the arrest of Eichorn, but they worked with Bloomington PD and other law enforcement on the operation.

The BCA investigates these types of crimes statewide. Their predatory crimes department includes the Minnesota Human Trafficking Investigators Task Force and the Minnesota Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

Minnesota BCA superintendent Drew Evans joined the program to talk about how the state works to track down predators.

The head of Feeding our Future has been found guilty in the largest pandemic fraud scheme in the U.S. We get a recap on the trial full of twists and turns and learn how state lawmakers are working to prevent it from happening again.

Friday marks 20 years since a shooting claimed the lives of 10 people on the Red Lake Reservation. We talk to a survivor who is working to memorialize the lives lost.

Minnesota's winters are getting warmer. We look at this past winter and how it fits into climate trends.

Thursday marks the first day of spring. We get some professional help to do spring cleaning.

Plus, it’s the middle of fish fry season. We go inside a church that is home to the Twin Cities largest fish fry.

Today’s Minnesota Music Minute was “Backseat” by Chastity Brown and “First Day of My Life” by Bright Eyes was the Song of the Day.

Friday marks 20 years since the tragic mass shooting on the Red Lake Nation that left 10 people dead and seven injured.

On March 21, 2005, a Red Lake High School student killed five of his classmates, a teacher, the school security guard, his grandfather and his grandfather’s partner. The shooter died by a self-inflicted gunshot.  

At the time, the Red Lake shooting was the largest school shooting in the U.S. since the Columbine massacre.

Starr Jourdain was at Red Lake High School on the day of the shooting and now serves as the chair of 3.21.05 Memorial Fund, a memorial group formed by survivors that honors the victims of the shooting. Jourdain joined Minnesota Now to reflect on the 20 years that have passed since the tragedy.

Thursday marked the first day of spring and the end of a very peculiar winter. According to state climate data, winter is Minnesota’s fastest warming season. Minnesota winters have warmed two to three times faster than summers.

Kenny Blumenfeld, a senior climatologist with the State Climatology Office, joined Minnesota Now to talk about the state’s warming winters and the impact climate change has on the environment.

We all need a little help to get through life sometimes. From everyday questions to more complex problems, we’re asking the experts to lend us a hand.

Throughout the series Professional Help, we’ll hear some direct advice, for us not-so-direct Minnesotans.

Thursday marks the first day of spring, which means many Minnesotans may be opening their windows for the first time this year. With the spring season can come the urge to deep clean your home. But maintaining those decluttering and organizing habits throughout the year can be a difficult task.

Minnesota Now producer Ellie Roth decided to ask an expert for tips on how to declutter and stay organized this spring.

Our ask: Help us declutter and organize our homes this spring

Our professional: Melissa Klug, professional organizer and the owner of Home By Eleven

Listen to more Professional Help segments here.

A federal jury in Minneapolis has found two people guilty on all counts in the nation’s largest case of pandemic-era fraud.

Prosecutors say Feeding our Future founder Aimee Bock and former restaurant owner Salim Said led a scheme to defraud taxpayers of $250 million meant for child nutrition programs. The case had led to calls from state lawmakers to prevent this from happening again.

MPR News correspondent Matt Sepic was in the courthouse throughout the five-week trial and he joined Minnesota Now to talk about the case and its impacts at the state Legislature.

Each Friday during Lent in kitchens all over the state, fish filets will be hitting the fryer to be served to Lent observers and anyone else with a hankering for fish fry.

The tradition has roots in the Catholic practice of abstaining from meat on Fridays, especially in the 40 days before Easter, but it has expanded more widely.

At Church of St. Albert the Great in Minneapolis, Father Joe Gillespie presides over one of the largest fish fry dinners in the region. He and Mpls.St.Paul Magazine food and dining editor Stephanie March, who writes a Twin Cities fish fry guide every year, joined Minnesota Now to talk about the tradition.